Kingsclere artist Amanda Bates is driven by a delight in drawing and an insatiable curiosity for how things work. She has a particular interest in the role of illusion and folklore in our interpretation of the unknown. Her loosely intricate, observational drawing captures a version of reality in which wild stories reside in our woods and hedgerows.

Amanda was elected an associate member of the Society of Graphic Fine Arts (aka The Drawing Society, https://www.sgfa.org.uk/) in 2022. She has recently exhibited in a number of high profile open exhibitions at the Mall Galleries in London , Southampton City Art Gallery and the Red House Museum, Christchurch, where she won the 2022 Friends’ Award with "Palisade". She also won Best in Category for her work, "Dragon Skeins", at Winchester Art Club's annual exhibition.